Little Miracles
by Old Bay Blunts
Summary: In the wake of a disastrous relationship, Karkat wants nothing to do with romance. He believes the only thing that comes from love is heartbreak. But can a shy girl in his art class change that? And is there any merit to Gamzee's constant prattling about miracles? Karkat&Nepeta, with other pairings. A story about family, friends, love, and the strange nature of good fortune.
1. A Familiar Speech

**A paragon in the field of creative writing once told me this: When you write fiction, you are joining a conversation that has been taking place for millennia.**

 **We all seek to improve our craft, and in doing so, we engage in dialogue with the greats who have come before us since time immemorial. I like to think that this holds true on our site. We engage with each other, we engage with our readers, and most importantly, we engage with the artists whose work has had an impact on our lives. We pay them a show of gratitude.**

 **Homestuck is a work of art, and to me that's largely because of its memorable characters. Like so many who've been here before me, I've been inspired to join the conversation with my own portrayal of these characters.**

 **So sit down with me, if you'd like. I want to tell you a story.**

 **%O%**

 _Little Miracles:  
A Familiar Speech_

 _Monday, March 2nd 2015_

The bedroom was dark, except for one small rectangle of light. It came from an open laptop resting on the covers of the bed. The glow was dim, compressed to almost nothing by the heavy darkness of the early morning hours. Around the room, shape and form were just barely visible. The pillows slumped against the wall, almost out of sight, and the silhouette of a lamp could just barely be seen, sitting on a bedside table. An alarm clock sat there as well, reading 4:13am in harsh red lines. Curves of light and shadow swirled over the bedsheets, playing with their messy wrinkles and folds. Beyond this illuminated bubble, blackness loomed over all that couldn't be seen.

But there was one thing that the laptop managed to highlight well: the figure of the boy using it, sitting cross-legged and hunched over the bright display. His name was Karkat. He'd just woken from a vivid nightmare, shot up from rest with a light dew of sweat coating his face. He had no plans of going back to sleep that night. So, naturally, he pulled out his laptop and started working on various programming projects of his.

Eyes squinted, mind drowsy, he gazed at the sea of numbers and symbols before him, trying to focus. It wasn't going well; even when fully cognisant, he struggled to make any of his code work correctly. But the work gave him something to do. It occupied his wandering mind, and that was all he wanted after such an awful dream.

Still, the constant stream of errors in his work was getting frustrating. Failure after failure, proudly announced by his damned machine. He got to a point where he simply slammed the laptop shut, bathing himself in darkness. With a sigh, he bowed his head to rest it on his palms, eyes shut. A half-formed thought drifted through his mind: _this is all such bullshit_.

He raised his head, and his hands slipped down his face. Thoughts distant, Karkat stared into the darkness. His eyes ached for colour, still unadjusted to the room. Wispy hues floated through his vision, imagined and intangible. He sat like this for more than two hours, deep within his own mind and consumed by shade.

But as time passed, the view in Karkat's window shifted from raw black to a silvery blue colour. Karkat watched the way it began to bring his room into existence around him. In the gleam of the approaching sun, his room seemed ethereal, and he was almost brought to a state of calm. But then life set into motion for the day.

Karkat's trance was broken by the screeching of his brother's alarm, and then by the creaking of his bed as Kankri moved to silence the din. He listened to his brother's movements across the hall. He heard the grumbling as Kankri struggled out of his comfy sheets and made his way to the door. There was the click of his doorknob, and a groan from the old wood as it swung open. Footsteps passed by Karkat's door, headed for the stairs. They were muffled, the kind produced when it's too early for shoes, which it definitely was.

Karkat knew it was time to start the day, but also knew he wasn't ready for it. After another moment of rest, he reached over and turned off the alarm on his own clock, to prevent it from buzzing later. Dragging his legs off the bed to plant them on the carpeted floor, he rose up and reached for his ceiling in a wide stretch. He could feel the tension from a lack of motion, and his back cracked a few times.

Wordlessly, and almost without higher thought, he lumbered out of his room and down the hall toward the stairs. As he passed through the hall, he took the time to look at the pictures hanging there. Old family photos were on display, and drawings from when the two were kids. Time really got away from him, he thought. All of a sudden, he was a junior in high school. Soon to be a senior. His eyes lingered on some of the sloppy drawings, and he struggled to believe that he had once created those things. In corporeal form, they far outlasted his memory.

Karkat made it to the stairs and started down. As he neared the bottom, the sounds of clinking silverware and a sizzle of bacon graced his ears. He came into the doorway, and saw his older brother Kankri tending to a pan on the stove, his back to the doorway. He hadn't even bothered to get dressed for the day yet. Kankri stood there clad in grey sweatpants and a white sleeveless shirt.

He must have heard the entrance of his brother, because Kankri turned around with a beaming smile. "Good morning, Karkat," came his greeting, all too chipper for 6:30 in the morning. Karkat just nodded to his brother, pursing his lips. He trudged over to the fridge and opened it, rummaging through for something worth drinking.

Kankri's smile faded somewhat. He'd always been more of a morning person than Karkat. Kankri really didn't know why he expected a different reaction from the boy. He shovelled some eggs onto a plate and moved to sit down at the small kitchen table they had. A chair hummed as he pulled it across the tiled floor and sat down. As he started eating, he watched his brother fumble with all the different containers in the fridge. "There's eggs in the pan, if you want any," he said between bites. "I made you some toast too."

"Thanks," Karkat mumbled. "I'm not hungry though."

At last he found what he'd been searching for. Karkat slid the carton of orange juice out from the back of the fridge, and poured himself a glass of it at the counter. Without any further acknowledgement of his brother, he left the kitchen to go get ready for the day. Kankri looked down at his food and sighed.

"Hey Karkat!" he called out, loud enough to reach him through the house.

"Yeah?" he hollered back.

"Do you at least want to take it with you? In case you get hungry at school or something?"

"Sure, I guess," came the reply.

Kankri nodded to himself, and stood up from the table to get a plastic bag.

Meanwhile, Karkat was in the bathroom just about to brush his teeth. He got about three brushstrokes in before he sputtered toothpaste and spit all over the sink. "Jesus Christ!" he shouted, scrambling to fill a cup with water and rid himself of the horrid taste in his mouth.

"You alright up there, Karkat?" Kankri asked from down below.

He huffed in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fucking fine!"

"Language, Karkat!"

He just rolled his eyes and went back to his routine. He was annoyed with himself. Who forgets that orange juice and toothpaste are a terrible combination? He looked up into the mirror. _You, that's who. Idiot._

Karkat finished cleaning up and went back into his bedroom to find some clothes for the day. He settled on a pair of jeans and a red shirt. The jeans hung low on his frame, and he needed a belt to keep them at a good height. He was just slipping on his black hoodie when his phone buzzed on the bedside table. He sat down on the bed and picked up his phone to read the new text.

'H3Y K4RK4T, HOWS 1T GO1NG? :]'

"Oh for Christ's sake." Karkat threw the phone onto the bed beside him, not bothering to respond. Talking to that girl topped the list of things he didn't want to do. Karkat knew he'd have to deal with her sooner or later, but that didn't mean he had to do it right away.

He shoved all of his books and notepads into his backpack, and finished the process by slipping in his laptop and zipping the bag shut. Karkat hurried downstairs to the front door, aware that he'd be running late if he didn't speed up his morning. He almost made it out of the house without Kankri talking to him. Almost.

"Karkat," he called out from the kitchen. Karkat froze in place, with pure annoyance. Kankri ceased his work of cleaning the pan from breakfast. "I've got that toast for you," he said, strolling out of the kitchen and into the living room with the little plastic bag.

"Yeah okay thanks." Karkat closed the gap and grabbed the bag. He turned around to head back toward the door, clearly rushed.

"And Karkat?" Kankri said.

Again Karkat stopped with a sigh. "What?"

"Make sure the car has enough gas in it, I've been driving a lot recently and I'm pretty sure it's getting—"

"Yeah okay, I got it!" Karkat resumed his walk, and in moments was out the door. It was going to be a close call already, having to pick up his friend and still make it to school on time. He really didn't need Kankri slowing him down.

Kankri listened to the front door slam shut, feeling it rattle the floor slightly. He drew in a breath. "Low," he whispered, finishing his sentence, though nobody heard it. More than ever, he felt the emptiness of the home. He slumped back to the kitchen to finish cleaning the dishes.

Karkat hurried down the little stone path that connected the front door to the driveway, heading for the car that he and Kankri both shared, a Ford Focus from 2003. He knew he was running short on time, but still took a quick glance at his watch to affirm that fact as he rounded the silvery hood of the car.

He put his bag in the back and hopped into the driver's seat, slamming the door next to him. As he turned the key and listened to the engine grumble to life, he saw that the car was indeed low on gas. Only had about a quarter tank left.

 _Great, I'm gonna have to fill it up on the way home,_ he thought. Karkat backed out of the driveway (barely missing a trash can) and took off down the road, searching the radio for some decent music as he sped along toward Gamzee's house.

From the kitchen window, Kankri watched his brother fade into the distance. He was busy scrubbing away at the pan he'd cooked with, trying to loosen some burnt egg matter from its surface.

%O%

Karkat didn't live too far away from Gamzee, and after twisting through a maze of back roads, he came to a stop in front of his house. It wasn't much different from his own; they both lived within the same vein of suburban sprawl. A few minutes passed, and the oaf had yet to come outside, so Karkat honked the horn as a signal that he'd be leaving soon if the freeloader didn't get his ass in gear.

That seemed to get Gamzee's attention, because he emerged from the house not long after. Karkat figured his honking had woken up the moron, because he stumbled out the door in jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt, his unbrushed hair flopping every which way. With a smirk, Karkat noticed that his socks didn't match, either. His book bag swung around by one strap on his shoulder as he reached around to grab the doorknob. He was shouting something back toward his father Kurloz. Karkat saw Kurloz begin to shake his head in annoyance before it was cut off by the closing door. Then Gamzee cut straight across the yard, headed for Karkat.

He pulled on one of the back door handles a few times, but it didn't budge, so he knocked on the window to ask for some help. Karkat rolled his eyes and lowered the window on that side.

"It's unlocked, stupid. The handle's stiff, you gotta pull it harder."

Gamzee nodded and pulled again, putting his back into it this time. With a loud clank, the door opened. He grunted as he threw his bag into the back seat. It landed sloppily and fell to the floor of the car, a few papers spilling out of an open pouch. Gamzee didn't even notice, he'd already shut the door and joined Karkat up front.

As soon as Gamzee's door closed, Karkat hit the gas, and off they went down the road. Gamzee's seat squeaked a little as he sunk down into it, and he looked over at his friend with that air-headed grin he always wore. He took note of the rings under Karkat's eyes, and his frown. He was clearly not in a good mood, but that wasn't a surprise.

"How's your morning been, bro?" Gamzee asked.

Just then, the car started beeping. It surprised Karkat for a second, until he looked down at the dashboard, then over at his friend.

"Gamzee, buckle your seatbelt for Christ's sake."

"Shit, oops," he mumbled as he sat up and messed around with the strap. Finally, he clicked it into place, and the car stopped beeping.

"What the hell man? You know that's fucking important, right?"

"Yeah yeah. It just slipped my mind, is all."

"Oh, y _ou_ forgot something? Big goddamn surprise."

Gamzee just looked at Karkat for a while, his head tilted. "I'm gonna guess it hasn't been all that great."

"What?"

"Your morning, bro."

"Oh… Nah, it's been fine." Karkat grimaced and kept his eye on the road, not saying anything for a moment. "How's yours going?"

"It just started a few minutes ago. Good so far," he chuckled. He gave Karkat a thumbs up.

Karkat didn't join in on the laughing though, and Gamzee could tell something was on his mind.

"Okay, what all's the matter, best friend?"

Karkat looked over at him, feigning shock. "Nothing, why do you ask? Everything's fucking peachy. Don't worry your overgrown head about it."

Gamzee rubbed the side of his head, his hand lost in the mound of hair. "You been so motherfuckin' stressed lately, my bother," he said, frowning. "Like, more than normal."

Karkat was silent for a while, his hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel. "Didn't get any sleep."

"Again?"

"Yes, again!" he snapped. "I don't know what the fucking problem is. But I can't sleep sometimes, so I try to get some programming done or some shit like that. Of course that doesn't fucking go well either, so I wind up just laying in bed wondering why life is so goddamn hard, why I can't catch a fucking break. Same shit as usual…"

Karkat went on to tell Gamzee more about the troubles he was having. He mentioned that he also got a text from Terezi.

"Bro, you know what I think?" Gamzee asked, when he'd finally finished. Karkat knew what was coming, and he dreaded hearing the stale speech. "You need a miracle, my friend!" Karkat groaned. "And I'm sure one is fixin' to head your way! It's how karma works and all."

Karkat sighed again. "Gamzee, let's just pretend I actually fucking believe you for a second, okay? How long am I supposed to wait for this stupid miracle?"

"Maybe it's already happened, bro. You just don't realise it. Miracles are all crazy and wonderful like that. They happen all the time, all around us." His hands were involved in his speaking now, gesturing like an avid lunatic. "Little things pop up, and they have some big consequences."

Gamzee took a pause, the gears in his brain spinning whimsically. "Maybe it'll happen today, bro. Maybe a miracle will come crashing into your life, and maybe you won't even know it's happened."

"Maybe, maybe, maybe!" Karkat mocked his friend. "Just shut up already! All you ever tell me is this fortune cookie bullshit, I've heard it a thousand times!"

"Karma works in mysterious ways, I'm telling ya. When you least expect it, your life is gonna get flipped upside down. Let your brain all munch on that for a while," he finished, shifting himself in the seat so he could look out the side window.

Karkat couldn't have been happier that the conversation was over. He thought about what Gamzee said for a while, but mostly he was just thinking about how dumb it made Gamzee sound whenever that bilge came out of his mouth.

%O%

With a few minutes to spare, Karkat made it to school and parked in his normal spot. As he turned the key, he looked over at Gamzee, who'd fallen asleep leaning against the window. Karkat knocked him on the shoulder, and Gamzee woke up with a start.

"Huh? Shit, man, are we at school?"

"Nope, I said 'fuck it' and drove us all the way to Ohio instead," Karkat quipped as he got out of the car. "Hurry up, we're gonna be late."

Gamzee sat up and rubbed his forehead. Then he reached around and scooped up all his stuff, crumpling the papers and shoving them back into the bag. He climbed out of the car and waited for his friend to join him. Karkat locked the car and the two made their way across the parking lot to the doors of the school, ready to brave another day.

"Now remember, bro," Gamzee said as they reached the doors.

"Remember what?"

"There's a motherfuckin' miracle headed your way." With that, Gamzee opened the door, and he was gone before Karkat could form a reply that displayed his level of annoyance. Grumbling, he followed Gamzee's lead and flung the door open, walking inside.

He knew this day was going to throw a lot of shit at him, and he wasn't confident that a miracle would be one of those things.

 **%O%**

 **Conversations only work well when both parties are speaking. So if you have the time, and are so inclined, I would love to hear your thoughts on the progress of this story. I'm already hard at work on the first chapter, so that will be showing up soon as well.**


	2. Art Partners

**In case anybody who's previously read this story is wondering what happened, I merged the introduction with the first chapter of the story. Also, sorry this chapter's a little on the late side, but arranging the dialogue in a way that I liked proved to be very hard. I've done it though, so here's chapter two.**

 **%O%**

 _Little Miracles:  
_ _Art Partners_

 _Monday, March 2nd 2015_

Karkat was among the last to shuffle into the room for his art class. It was a big, open space, and every surface was adorned with sketches, paintings, prints, and the occasional splatter of paint. Some wood and paper shavings hid away in the corners, behind shelves loaded with clay pots and wood sculptures. Cutout paper snowflakes hung from strings near the ceiling— remnants from christmas nobody had bothered to take down.

Karkat felt eyes staring at him almost immediately, and they weren't just the glances you get for being one of the late kids. He could tell that one particular set of green eyes was on him— eyes which belonged to the best artist in the room. She was one of the few people in the class who actually put some effort into her work there. She had shoulder length brown hair and a delicate, slender face. She always wore a green trench coat, and it had sort of become her thing.

And she annoyed the shit out of Karkat, nearly every day. Her name was Nepeta.

Karkat gave her a sideways glance, he couldn't help it. The second her eyes met his, they dropped back down to the doodle she'd been working on. She went back to drawing cats, and tried to pretend she hadn't been looking at him at all. Still, a hint of red graced her cheeks.

Karkat sat down on his usual stool near a corner of the room, groaning to himself. It was obvious she had a crush on him, he'd known it for months. Why couldn't people just leave him the hell alone? He didn't want a relationship with anybody. The only thing he wanted even less was this awkwardness between himself and a near-stranger.

With all the students settled in, their teacher began droning on about the small project they were all currently working on. They'd been drawing a house using perspective lines. It felt more like a geometry class than art, and Karkat wasn't pleased with it at all. The only reason he took the class was because his high school had an art requirement for its students. It was his junior year, and he had yet to satisfy it. So, there he was.

 _I could've signed up for any other fucking art course and avoided this whole mess. But no, I_ had _to pick this one,_ he thought to himself.

"Karkat and Nepeta," the voice of his art teacher called out, stirring Karkat from his thoughts.

"What?" they both asked, sitting up. Karkat had been off in his own head, and Nepeta had been too busy drawing to really listen to what was going on, until now.

Mr Morrissey sighed, rather loudly. "As I've already explained to the class, you'll be working on this semester's final project in pairs. You two have to create a piece of work that demonstrates your skills as artists. I recommend employing what you've learned in this class." Then he made eye contact with Karkat. "If anything."

Normally, Karkat would have taken the opportunity to start some sort of scene, but the news he'd been given was all he could focus on at that moment.

 _Fuck! Why the hell did I take this course!?_ Karkat was freaking out in his own head. He was livid. It wasn't bad enough that she was always staring at him, now she was gonna talk to him, too. And he had to talk to her as well. He sat his head on his hand, and the force of his palm against his cheek was all that kept him from bashing his face into the table.

 _This is gonna suck ass,_ he thought.

%O%

 _Oh my god, this is so perfect,_ Nepeta thought. _Maybe we can finally get to know each other!_

She glanced over at him, and saw that he'd spaced out again. It always seemed like he was thinking really hard. Without really thinking about it, she stopped drawing and started chewing on the eraser end of her pencil. She couldn't help but look at him. He was so cute. He had black hair that was fairly short, and an absolute mess. Messy hair didn't always look good to her, but when it was on him, she couldn't complain. She couldn't complain at all… And he had those light grey eyes that glowed in the sunlight. His jawline was sharp, and clean shaven. His figure was rather thin, but he still had some narrow muscles.

She knew that this would be her chance, and she was going to try her best to get on his good side. Surely he had one, right?

 _Of course he does,_ she thought. _Everybody has a good side._

%O%

At last, the bell rang, signalling that it was time for lunch. Karkat bolted out of the room before most of the other students had even gotten their books and art supplies packed up. He headed for the cafeteria, and on the way there he got another text from Terezi.

'H3Y YOU, W4NN4 34T LUNCH W1TH M3?'

Karkat figured he should at least respond, even though he didn't particularly want to.

'SORRY, IM ALREADY EATING WITH MY FRIENDS'

There, that oughta do it. Let her off nice and easy.

'4WWW. BUT W3 N3V3R H4NG OUT 4NYMOR3 :['

 _Fuck._ Why did she have to be persistent?

'SOME OTHER TIME OKAY?'

'OK4Y'

'LOOK1NG FORW4RD TO 1T, K4RKL3S :]'

Karkat read that stupid nickname she always used and decided to just shut off his phone, as he approached the table his friends were sitting at. He dropped it harshly on the table, to signify where he'd be eating, then left to get his food. He didn't say a word to his friends, and they could tell by that look on his face that something was up. Chatter flared up between the four of them.

"What's his deal?" Sollux asked, his lisp hanging up on the 'S' sounds.

"Who cares? He's always angry about somethin'," Eridan responded. Sollux shrugged.

"Yeah but he's been, like, super pissed lately," Gamzee said. "He's starting to get me all motherfuckin' worried."

"Yes, I agree with Gamzee. He's not been himself at all recently," Kanaya added.

The group exchanged theories about Karkat. A few were pretty misguided, but others were more plausible. Meanwhile, Karkat grabbed a tray and trudged through the lunch line. He grabbed the essentials: a slice of pizza and some fries. It was his usual meal, a routine he'd fallen into a while back. On a whim, he scooped up some slop that looked like mashed potatoes and dumped it on his plate as well. After sliding his student ID at the counter, he started weaving through the crowd toward his table. But when Karkat returned to his friends, he found that the conversation between them had been snuffed out. He also noticed, with relief, that Eridan was gone.

"Hey," he droned as he sat down. "So, what were you all babbling about?"

"Not much," Sollux grumbled. He was sitting with his arms crossed, glaring down at his food tray. Karkat looked at Kanaya and Gamzee, noting their uneasiness. Kanaya was tapping away at her phone in her lap, eyes locked to the screen. Gamzee was slowly stirring the bowl of soup he'd gotten, with the familiar look on his face that told Karkat his mind was somewhere else.

"Okay, what the hell happened here?"

"Sollux and Eridan got into yet another argument," Kanaya said, not averting her gaze from a round of 2048. "He left our table in quite a huff."

"Good riddance," Karkat murmured through a bite of his pizza. Sollux nodded, and the two of them bumped fists. Sollux shrugged his annoyance off, and went back to eating.

"Why do we even let him hang out with us? He's a pompous douchebag," Karkat added, after swallowing his pizza.

"Aw, he ain't so bad," Gamzee said, and Karkat just stared at him.

"'Ain't so bad'? Really, he 'ain't so bad', huh?" Karkat asked, getting himself worked up. But he quickly remembered that he had something else to talk about, and he wasn't going to let this stupid tangent get the better of him. Karkat clamped his mouth shut, and took a breath to calm his nerves.

"Brother's just got a strong opinion on things and all—"

"Whatever. Look, that shit's not important right now." Karkat glared at Gamzee, but the oaf was too busy trying to balance his soup spoon on his finger to notice. "Something happened today, and… I need some fucking advice, okay?"

"Really?" Gamzee asked, with genuine curiosity. He gently set the spoon down by his bowl, shifting his full attention to Karkat. "And what is this situation that needs advising, best friend?"

"Please, do tell," Kanaya said, putting her phone away for the moment and lifting her head up. Karkat asking for advice was not a common occurrence, and it grabbed her attention.

"Yeah, what's up K?" Sollux added on, also wondering what was on his friend's mind. He stopped eating and turned to face Karkat.

With a sigh, Karkat put his elbows on the table so he could rest his head on his hands. They cupped either side of his face, following the sharp turn of his jaw.

"Okay, you know that girl in my shitty art class? The one who's got a crush on me?" he asked the table.

"Yeah?" they all replied, more or less in unison.

"Well, I got stuck working with her on this stupid semester project we're doing."

The table erupted into a mixture of laughter and "Ooooo"ing from his friends.

"Yeah, yeah, it's fucking hilarious! Laugh it up, shitheads," Karkat seethed.

Sollux just grinned at his friend. "That's it? _That's_ your big dilemma? Is that why you've been so pissy today?"

One of Karkat's hands came down hard and slapped the table as he sat up straight. "I have not been fucking pissy today!" Sollux just raised an eyebrow and kept looking at him. Eventually, Karkat rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay, so maybe I've been just a little bit more on edge than usual. But I don't know how I'm supposed to fucking handle this."

"What is there to handle?" Sollux asked. "She's your partner for the project, asshole. That's that."

"It's not that simple!" Karkat yelled.

"It's not huh?" Sollux retorted. "You think there's any chance you can be un-partnered?"

"Well… shit, no, there's no way. Mr Morrissey is such a hard ass."

"Word," Gamzee said, between mouthfuls of soup. "I've got that dude for woodcarving."

"Sounds like you're partners then," Sollux said, leaning back in his chair. "Just suck it up, K." Sollux was quiet for a moment, but then a question occurred to him. "What's so bad about being partnered with her, anyway?"

"What's so bad? Are you fucking serious? She's got a thing for me, dipshit! What if she tries to make a move or something while we're working on this project together?" Karkat's hands were in his hair now, not far from pulling some of it out.

"You tell her you're not interested, stupid."

"But I don't want to do that to her, I have no fucking idea how she'd take it... ugh." Karkat pushed his tray away and put his head down on the table, behind his arms.

Sollux didn't know what else to say, so he went back to what he'd been doing before, which was eyeballing the back of Eridan's head with disgust from across the cafeteria.

Kanaya decided it was her turn to try and reason through the issue with him. "You're still quite opposed to the prospect of romance," she said. "How have you been faring emotionally since your, uh, _episode_ with Dave?"

"Fucking fantastic. I feel great. Life is wonderful." Karkat peeked out from behind his arms to glare at Kanaya and her stupid questions. She shook her head, frowning.

"Not well, I take it."

"I don't wanna talk about it." Karkat sighed heavily as he sat up. "So, I've got to get through this project with her, one way or another…" Karkat face-palmed, slouching in his chair. "I guess I'll just ride this shit out as best I can."

"Yeah, bro," Gamzee chimed in. "Why bother doing anything? Like, maybe it'll all be chill. Maybe she won't get all up in your business like you seem to be thinking she will."

Karkat looked across the table at Gamzee. "God, I fucking hope so. I mean, what the hell could I even do if she gets the wrong idea?" he asked.

"If I could offer a point for you to think about, Karkat," Kanaya cut back in. Everybody paused to look at her, so she continued. "You've never interacted with this girl. Not even once, is that correct?"

"Well, I mean…"

"Since the two of you will be working on this project together no matter what, you should try to befriend her. If you're successful, it'll make things go much more smoothly. Plus, you might find that she's actually a decent person."

Karkat just sighed. "Okay, fine, whatever. I'll fucking talk to the cat girl."

"That's the spirit, bro," Gamzee said.

So it was settled. Karkat would at least try to become friends with Nepeta, for the sake of making it less awkward to work on the project with her. Karkat tried to put the thought out of his mind and enjoy his lunch, but he had little success.

%O%

School was finally out for the day. The sun was getting low in the sky, and it cast a long shadow of Karkat's impatient figure across the parking lot. He stood by his car, leaning on the hood and tapping his foot impatiently. With a sigh, he whipped his arm around to take a look at his watch.

 _It's been 15 minutes. Where the hell is he?_ Karkat asked himself. He was pondering the idea of simply leaving his stupid friend behind when Gamzee came jogging over to the car.

"Shit. Sorry I'm late, bro," he said.

Karkat threw his hands in the air. "Finally! What the hell took you so long, Gamzee?"

"I's just talking to a friend of mine." Gamzee waved him off and went around the car to throw his stuff in the back seat. Karkat stopped leaning on the hood and turned around to look at Gamzee.

"Who, that kid in the wheelchair again?"

Gamzee paused for a moment, but then he nodded. "That's the one, bro… His name's Tavros, he's a cool dude," he said, standing by the passenger door. Karkat stood by his own door for a moment, looking at Gamzee over the silvery roof of the car. He seemed unsettled for some reason. Karkat couldn't help but feel like something was up, but he didn't care enough to keep talking about it.

"Whatever. Let's go."

They both got into the car. At last, Karkat used the key he'd been holding for a while, and the engine spun to life. Navigation wasn't difficult in the nearly empty lot. In moments, Karkat was out on the street. He took a left at the school's entrance, instead of the right Gamzee had expected.

"We gotta stop and get some gas," Karkat said.

"Oh, it's all good." Gamzee sat back into his seat and breathed a sigh of relief that the day was over. "Mind if I crank up some tunes?"

"Go for it," was all Karkat said. The day had left him frazzled, and he thought maybe some music could actually help. Gamzee started fumbling with the knobs, and eventually found a song he liked. It was a strange mix of reggae and electro, but Karkat didn't mind it too much.

 **%O%**

 **If you have a little time, let me know what you think of the story so far. It really helps me out. Starting now, I'm going to respond to all the reviews I get, so you know how much I appreciate it. Keep in mind, you have to be logged into an account for me to PM you** **—** **if you leave a review with a random placeholder name I'll have no way to get back to you!**


	3. Anticipation

**I'm gonna try to start uploading chapters every Friday, we'll see how that goes. Honestly, this one could have easily been two chapters, but I have an outline and I'm trying to stick to it, so here's a nice long read for you.**

 **%O%**

 _Little Miracles:  
_ _Anticipation_

 _Monday, March 2nd 2015_

Nepeta was almost skipping as she walked home from school. Her head was abuzz as she thought about working with Karkat on their art project, and she already had several ideas— some relating to the project, others about getting to know that boy. She glided down the sidewalk, taking the time to notice a little flower in the grass, or a bird tweeting overhead.

Nepeta loved springtime. It was easily her favourite season, and the trees were just starting to bud with the promise of new life. There was a chill in the air, but as the days wore on, it seemed to be getting less noticeable. Not that it would even matter if the air was freezing cold— nothing could get Nepeta's spirits down after her stroke of luck today.

She'd spent the rest of her school day thinking about Karkat, and about how she now had a reason to talk to her crush. She was eager to see him at school tomorrow… but anxiety festered in the back of her mind.

 _What if he doesn't like me? What if he thinks I'm just a weirdo?_ The heavy thoughts drifted through her mind like glaciers, and Nepeta stopped skipping down the sidewalk. She shook her head in an attempt to cast away those pesky negative feelings.

 _You'll be fine,_ she told herself. _He seems nice enough, all you have to do is be normal._ Nepeta soothed her thoughts and started walking again, a little less gleefully this time, wondering how the coming day was going to go.

She made it to her house not long afterward. As she strode in through the front door, Nepeta saw her sister Meulin sitting on the couch. She was absorbed in the task of knitting something. It was a teal creation, and fairly long— Nepeta assumed it was a scarf.

Meulin must have noticed the motion of the door, because she looked up from her work and waved to Nepeta, smiling all the while. Nepeta returned the gesture as she shut the door, then followed it up with a series of more complex hand gestures— sign language. She asked Meulin how her day was, and she replied that it was going very well. Nepeta signed back that she'd had a great day at school, and that later on she was going to tell Meulin about it, because she had some news. Meulin signed that she couldn't wait to hear it, and Nepeta replied that she'd tell her at dinner.

With that, Meulin picked up her knitting needles and returned to what she'd been doing. Nepeta was just heading back to her room when a fluffy white cat jogged into the living room to greet her.

"Pounce!" Nepeta chirped, happy to see her little companion. She squatted down and started scratching behind his ears. "How're you doing buddy?" she cooed. Pounce flopped onto his side, purring in response, and Nepeta started rubbing his belly. Meulin stopped knitting and watched in silence as her little sister played with the cat, a smile stuck on her face.

%O%

Karkat was laying upside down on Gamzee's bed, his eyes tracking a blade of the ceiling fan above him as it went around and around. At this point, he barely realised he was even doing it. He was so deep in thought that nothing else really registered in his head. He sighed occasionally, but that was pretty much all he did for a while.

The only noise in the room besides the fan's quiet whir was Gamzee rummaging through his closet. Karkat had practically forgotten his friend was even there, and he jumped a bit when Gamzee tried to get his attention. His shaggy head popped out of the closet, and there was a gleam in his eyes.

"Bro, I found it!" he shouted, and Karkat jumped a little.

"Jesus, Gamzee!" Karkat yelled back, sitting up. "What are you talking about? The hell did you find?"

"It's that book I been telling you about, come check this out!" Gamzee waved his hand, motioning for Karkat to get off the bed and come look. Karkat couldn't recall Gamzee talking about any book— it must have been while he wasn't paying attention.

"Since when do you read any fucking books?" Karkat asked his friend, as he threw his legs over the edge of the bed, pushing himself off. Gamzee emerged fully from the closet and turned around to face him, brandishing what was probably the most colourful tome Karkat had ever seen.

"Don't you remember, bro? I told you I was squatting on this little wonder, right? A book full of art, and like, instructions to make art, and shit like that. I'm telling you, if you're a bro who's looking to make some magic in the world, this book, it's… well it's a straight up—"

"Gamzee don't you fucking say it."

Gamzee just looked right at Karkat, and grinned that wry grin of his. "It's a straight up miracle, bro."

Karkat just sighed heavily, snatching the book from Gamzee's hands. He turned around and walked back to the bed, opening the book as he laid down. The smile on Gamzee's face didn't fade; he knew he'd managed to pique Karkat's interest.

"I figured, y'know, since you got this whole thing going down in your art class, you could make some use of it or some shit." Gamzee came over and sat at the foot of the bed, gazing across the room and out his window.

"Yeah, thanks." Karkat was thumbing through the pages, staring blankly as words and pictures flickered in and out of view. Really, he only gleaned one fact from his investigation: _a lot_ of shit concerning art had been pressed into this more-or-less average book. Privately, Karkat acknowledged that it actually was an impressive object— but he refused to call it miraculous. Still, Karkat kept looking through it.

"You like it?" Gamzee asked him.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, it's cool and all… really cool."

Karkat didn't look up from the book, he was too busy thinking about how he could use it to save his ass. One of Karkat's biggest concerns was that he knew almost nothing about art. The extent of his ability was pretty much doodling stick figures and sloppy recreations of scenes from movies he liked.

He couldn't help but think that he was majorly fucked. Nepeta was the best artist in that class, and he barely knew how to draw a straight line. She'd probably wind up doing all the work and he'd just be sitting there, completely useless. He frowned at the idea.

"You all good, Karkat?"

"Yeah man, I'm fine," he said, but Gamzee seemed unconvinced.

"A'ight, come on. Spill it," he said. Gamzee turned so that he was sitting cross-legged and facing his friend. Karkat pouted for a while, then decided to sit up as well, arms linked around his bent legs. He set the vivid book by his side, and it dipped slightly into the covers. He'd almost curled up into a ball.

"I'm just bracing myself, because this shit with Nepeta's gonna fucking suck."

Gamzee leaned forward as much as he could with his hands in his lap, and for once his face held nothing but seriousness. "But that's the thing, is you don't know that. It ain't like it's some kinda universal truth. Karkat, this girl could be the coolest motherfucker you've ever seen."

"What if she's not, Gamzee? What the hell happens then?" There was a pause, and Gamzee's gaze fell down to his own hands. They fidgeted with each other nervously.

"I know you been through some rough times, bro… but you gotta give her a chance to just be her friendly self and all. I'm serious and shit… like, she could be a little miracle in your life, like the one I've always been talking about."

Karkat grimaced at the word. "You never answered my fucking question," he spat.

"Well… Do you remember way back when we became friends, all those years ago?" Gamzee asked, a small smirk appearing on his face. "You _hated_ me, bro. For a while, you did… But I kept bugging the shit outta you. I wouldn't leave you be. And I think, eventually, you went and decided I wasn't so bad, after all. And look at us now."

Karkat smiled a little as he retrieved those old memories. It was a warm smile, too— for once, nothing about it was forced. "Yeah, I remember that. Of course I fucking remember that. How could I not— you _still_ bug the shit outta me. Anyway, so what?"

"Karkat, you gotta be letting people in your life sometimes. You're never gonna go nowhere if you assume the worst and give people that cold shoulder you got."

Karkat mulled this over for a while, sighing. "I'll try to be fucking friendly, okay? Jesus."

"That's the way, best friend. Open up, just a little bit, and life will surprise you. I promise." Gamzee's eyes lit up, happy that he was going to give it a shot. Gamzee held out his hand for a fist bump, and Karkat reluctantly tapped it with his own.

"Yeah? Well it better be a good fucking surprise." Karkat turned his attention to his new book, laying back on the bed to read it some more.

%O%

Nepeta was splayed across her bed, laying on her stomach and typing intently on her laptop. Music blared in her earbuds. Notebooks were strewn around her, some of them open and some shut. She'd been working on an essay for the past hour and half, and she was beat. She figured she'd earned herself a break, and switched over to Pesterchum.

It was then that she realised she'd yet to tell her best friend about the shocking development at school today. Her emerald eyes scanned down the list until she spotted his username— CentaursTesticle.

— ArsenicCatnip [AC] began pestering CentaursTesticle [CT] —

AC: *ac sneaks up behind ct and playfully bats at his hair*

CT: Hi

AC: *ac curls up in ct's lap and purrs contentedly*

CT: Nepeta what is it that you need

AC: *ac says she has great news to tell ct*

CT: Inform me of this news without the preposterous roleplaying

AC: but equiuuuuus!

CT: Nepeta you will cease this f001ishness at once

AC: rawr! youre no fun!

CT: I'm plenty of fun

AC: are not!

CT: I am so

AC: no

CT: Yes

AC: no!

CT: Yes

AC: nooo!

CT: Enough

CT: Tell me about this news of yours

AC: hisssss

CT: Now

AC: fine

AC: i got my partner for the art project today

AC: and

AC: its karkat!

CT: Oh heavens

CT: This is another f001ish joke isnt it

AC: no its not!

CT: Dont tell me youre actually working with that classless ruffian

AC: equius be nice! hes not that bad!

CT: All ive ever heard from him is complaining and profanity

CT: And he has associated himself with an unsavoury crowd

AC: equius! im really nervous and youre not helping!

CT: My apologies

AC: he always sits by himself in art

AC: he looks out the window and mumbles to himself

AC: maybe he just needs somebody to talk to

CT: Nepeta dont get too involved with that delinquent

AC: i want to help cheer him up!

CT: I forbid it Nepeta

CT: He is nothing but trouble

AC: you cant do that!

CT: I can

AC: no!

CT: Yes

AC: nooo! hes my partner so i have to talk to him!

AC: and im going to do anything i can for him!

AC: so thats that!

— ArsenicCatnip [AC] ceased pestering CentaursTesticle [CT] —

Nepeta slapped her laptop shut with a groan. She wasn't really surprised that their conversation went the way it did— after all, Equius basically saw himself as her personal bodyguard. But this was her chance, and she was going to make the most of it. With or without his approval.

%O%

Karkat was almost completely immersed in his colourful book. The diagrams of different art styles and techniques, while mostly foreign to him, held a sort of allure. Still, in the back of his mind, something was bothering him.

Karkat looked over at Gamzee, who was drawing something at his desk. He contemplated telling his friend about the other thing that had happened during the school day, but decided against it. Venting to that airhead would probably wind up being more trouble than it was worth.

The scene kept playing out in Karkat's mind; he'd been in chemistry, a class he shared with Terezi. Of course, she loved to be a distraction. She kept passing notes to him, flirting with him, and always gave him this crazy look, like he was a piece of meat she wanted to eat. It was really unnerving.

Why couldn't she just take a fucking hint? He wasn't interested in her. She was manipulative, and dramatic, and she just wanted him because she thought he was attractive. But he didn't want to tell her off, because they'd been friends for a long time. So what the hell could he do? Exasperated, Karkat set down his book and harshly covered his face with one of Gamzee's pillows, like he could smother the flashback he was going through. Gamzee turned around from his desk.

"You still got a weight all up in your mind, don't you?" he asked.

"Shut up," Karkat snapped from beneath the pillow.

 **%O%**

 **This chapter was supposed to be out Friday, but the week's been a little crazy for me and the weekend was even more intense. Still, gonna try and keep to that Friday upload schedule. Also, as you may have noticed, I was unable to include the beginning quirks Nepeta and Equius always type. For some reason, this website really doesn't like those angled bracket things. It's very unfortunate.**

 **As always, feel free to let me know what you think of the story so far.**


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